Multiple use dress



Ud. 2l, 1969 A A, JEFFREY MULTIPLE USE DRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 27,

C. 21, 1969 A A JEFFREY 3,473,167

MULTIPLE USE DRESS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flleddan. 27, 1969 FIG. 8 FlG- ff mv* A a.: '3E /NVENTORJ 1.! I, 1 AUNA AJEFFREY Monate 22mm ArroRA/Ex nited States Patent O im. ci. A41d 1/22, 1/18, 3/08 lU.S. Cl. 2-74 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A dress of tubular material and having a plurality of attachment points at one end and `a number of tie belts so that by varying the combination of attachments in cooperation with the tie belts, the dress is converted into a plurality of styles and appearances on the wearer.

The present invention relates generally to womens dresses and more particularly to a multi-style garment susceptible of being fashioned in a plurality of manners by the wearer thereof.

The general object of the invention is to provide in one single dress, means for converting the same into a multiplicity of styles and designs so that effectively a complete wardrobe is embodied therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel feminine garment of the above indicated nature whos basic design is extremely simple so that it may he manufactured with great economy of material and labor,

Still another object is to provide a feminine garment of the above indicated nature wherein there is virtually no waste of material in the manufacturing process.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a multi-purpose dress wherein the wearer, although not necessarily skilled in the art can re-arrange the same into a manifold number of attractive and esthetic styles.

Simply stated, the invention resides amongst other things, in providing a suitable length of substantially tubular material having aixed at the top periphery thereof a plurality of attachment points. Each attachment point may be secured to others along the periphery so that in eiect the material may be drawn into a variety of pleats and overlaps and ruies. In conjunction with the foregoing, a belt and ties are provided and attached to the material. The ties and belt may also be secured in alternate manners, so that in effect the combinations of the tie attachments and the belt attachment, and the peripheral point attachments provide possibilities for forming a plurality of variegated styles and appearances in the dress.

Other objects and advantages will become more apparent hereinafter by a consideration of the detailed description which follows taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated and described by way of example. It is to be expressly understood however that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts.

FIG. 1 is an elevation view partly in perspective of the basic design of the dress of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the dress of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a section view of the dress of FIG. 1 taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing an interior belt and interior ties in the dress.

FIG. 4 is a front view of one preferred arrangement of the dress of FIG. 1 called a straight overlap pleat.

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FIG. 5 is a variation in arrangement of the dress of FIG. 1 herein referred to as cocktail side drape.

FIG. 6 is another variation in arrangement of the invention herein called Apron effect.

FIG. 7 is still another alternate arrangement of the dress of the invention herein called one shoulder evening or cocktail dress.

FIG. 8 is another arrangement of the invention showing two of the dresses of FIG. 1 each differently arranged to form a dress and blouse respectively.

FIG. 9 is another arrangement of the invention showing two of the dresses of FIG. 1 arranged to form -a dress and a blouse respectively having the blouse thereof tied at the waistline.

FIG. 10 is still another skirt and blouse arrangement of the invention utilizing two of the dresses of FIG. l, herein identified 'as naked midriif.

FIG, 11 is an alternate arrangement of a skirt and blouse combination utilizing two dresses of the invention but having the bottom of the blouse-designate tied with a belt.

FIG. l2 is still another blouse and skirt combination utilizing two dresses of the invention herein identied as exposed shoulders.

FIG. 13 is still another variation in the arrangement of the invention of FIG. 1 and is herein referred to simply as evening gown.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. l, there is shown a basic dress or garment 10 formed of a continuous piece of substantially tubular material 12 having hem 14 at one end 16, (or bottom) thereof. The opposite end 18 (or top) contains a finished seam 19 close to the top periphery 20 thereof. A plurality of attachment areas herein indicated as 22, 24, 26 and 28 (FIGS. 1 and 3) are also disposed along the top 18. Each attachment area comprises a plurality of mating attachment devices herein designated as follows:

The attachment area 22 comprises sequential attachment devices 30, 32, 34 and 36 (FIGS. 1 and 3).

The attachment area 24 comprises attachment devices 3S, 40, 42 and 44 (FIGS. 1 and 3).

The attachment area 26 comprises in sequence attachment devices 46, 48, 50 and 52 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

The attachment yareas 28 comprises sequential attachment devices 54, 56, 58 and 60.

The attachment devices aforenoted may be of any approved type ordinarily used in the art, such as mating snaps, buttons and button holes, hooks and loops or the like, the latter being shown here by way of illustration only and not as limiting the manufacture of the dress to the use thereof. Thus in the illustration of the drawings it has been elected that in area 22, the attachment devices 30 and 34 are hooks while 32 and 36 are loops. In the area 24, the devices 38 and 42 are hooks while 40 and 44 are loops. Similarly in the areas 26 and 28, the devices 46, 50, 54 and 58 are loops, while the devices 48, 52, 56 and 60 are hooks. It will now be noted that in the disposition of the attachment devices the hooks and loops alternate in sequence around the top periphery 20 of the dress 10. Hence, attachment may be made between any hook and any loop labout the periphery 20` of the dress 10, either within the same attachment area or between hooks and loops located in different attachment areas, as hereinafter illustrated.

In conjunction with the foregoing attachment means, there are contained interiorly of the dress 10 a plurality of side ties 62, 64, 66 and 68 and an interior center belt 70. The side ties or stays, 62 and 66 are upper side ties and are disposed on the same level of the dress at approximately 1/3 of the length from the top end 18 thereof and may be readily secured to one another in certain modes 3 68 are lower stays or side ties and are disposed on the same level at approximately one-third of the length of the dress from the bottom hem 14 and are susceptible to being similarly secured.

The interior center belt 70 is removably attached to the garment in any prescribed manner as by a snap arrangement 72 (FIGS. 1 and 2), and may be detached and worn in certain applications about the exterior of the garment as for example in the arrangements of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 6 and in FIGURE 12.

It will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that by electing to mate diiferent combinations of the attaching hooks and loops about the periphery of the dress, in conjunction with securing (or refraining from securing), certain of the ties 62, 64, 66 and 68, the dress may be drawn about the body of the wearer, into a large variety of pleats and overlaps and to form thereby a variety of styles and arrangements in the dress, so that in appearance and for all practical purposes, the dress 10 may be made to appear a number of entirely different dresses.

Referring now to FIGURE 4 as illustrative of the foregoing, there is shown one preferred arrangement 74 of the invention, herein called straight overlap pleat. The effect therein created is formed in that the hook 30, loop 32, hook 34 and loop 36 of area 22 are attached respectively to loop 46, hook 48, loop 50 and hook 52 of area 26. The counterpart attachments are made between areas 24 and 28, in that hook 38, loop 40, loop 42 and loop 44 are attached respectively to loop 54, hook 56, loop 58 and hook 60. Thus the periphery of the garment is considerably shortened about the shoulders of the wearer to form folds of excess material 76 and 78 (FIG. 4). These are in turn brought about the front of the wearer and secured in the center as by an ornamental pin 80.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a variation in arrangement of the dress 10 herein called cocktail side drape and designated as numeral 82. The therein illustrated effect is achieved by attaching loop 32 and hook 34 of area 22 to hook 48 and loop 50 respectively of area 26; while loop 40 and hook 42 of area 24 are secured to loop 56 and hook 58 respectively of area 28. This mode of attachment will now result in a fairly larger amount of excess material 82 than in the arrangement of FIG. 4, so that the resultantly formed folds 84 and 86 may be drawn and overlapped to one side of the body of the wearer and secured as with ornamental pin 80.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, there is shown an arrangement 88 of the dress 10 herein called apron effect, arrived at by securing the hook 30, loop 32, hook 34 and loop 36 of area 22 to their counterpart mating devices 'u in area 26, loop 46, hook 48, loop 50 and hook 52, on one side of the dress 10. On the remaining side, hook 38, loop 40, hook 42 and loop 44 of area 24 are attached to mating devices loop 54, hook 56, loop 58 and hook 60 respectively of area 28. Thus in elfect all of area 22 is attached to all of area 26 and all of area 24 is attached to all of area 28 about the neck of the wearer. Interior tie 62 is then attached to tie 66 (not shown), while tie 64 is attached to tie 68 (not shown) to thereby draw in the folds of excess material 90. The belt 70 is then removed and secured exteriorly about the waist of the wearer and ornamentally knotted as at 92.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown another alternate arrangement 94 of the dress 10, herein referred t0 as one shoulder evening dress. The appearance and style therein achieved is arrived at by attaching the loop 40 and the .hook 42 of area 24 to the hook 56 and loop 58 of area 28 respectively, at the left shoulder of the wearer. On the right side of the wearer, and below the armpit, the hook 52 of area 26 is attached to the loop 32 of area 22. The resulting excess material is drawn into a pleat 96 and secured at the hipline, as with ornamental pin 80. The herein disclosed arrangement may be Worn either long or short on the left shoulder according to preference. It follows that by securing the attachments 32 and 34 to attachments 4S and 50 respectively on the right shoulder instead and correspondingly opposite attachments 54 and 42 below the left armpit, the entire combination can be reversed to be worn long or short on the right shoulder instead.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is disclosed an alternate arrangement 98 of the invention, comprising a relatively shorter version of the dress 10 adapted to be worn as an upper garment, or blouse 100, and a normal length dress 10 worn therebeneath as a skirt 102. The blouse 100 is otherwise identical in every respect to the dress 10 except in its length.

The effect achieved by the blouse 100 may be arrived at as follows: The hook 30, loop 32, hook 34 and loop 36 of the area 22 are attached respectively to the loop 46, hook 48, loop and hook 52 of the area 26, at the top of the right shoulder of the wearer. The counterpart attachments on the left shoulder are made between areas 24 and 28 in that hook 38, loop 40, hook 42 and loop 44 are respectively attached to loop 54, hook 56, loop 58 and hook 60. Thus in eifect 22 and 24 attach to 26 and 28 (FIG. 3). It will now be observed that the herein mated attachments are identical to those disclosed in the arrangement of FIG. 4. The resultant folds of excess material 104 and 106 are brought about the front ot' the blouse and secured either at the center, as in FIG. 4, or on the side as herein shown, by an ornamental pin 80. The skirt 102 is formed from a normal dress 10 by simply enfolding the periphery of the dress 20 (FIG. l) snugly about the waist of the wearer and securing the excess fold (not shown here) as with a conventional safety pin or other ordinarily used attaching device. lt will now be obvious that the ensemble of FIG. 8 may also be effectively completed by using any skirt desired in conjunction with the blouse in lieu of the skirt 102.

Referring now to FIG. 9 there is shown still another arrangement of the invention wherein two of the dreses 10 'are employed to form a dress and a blouse combination. The combination 108 of FIG. 9 is identical to the arrangement 98 of FIG. 8 at the Shoulder attachments, in that the area 22 is attached to the area 26 and the area 24 is attached to the area 28. The skirts 102 employed in each combination (FIGS. 8 and 9) are also identical. The sole difference between the combination 108 of FIG. 9 and the arrangement 98 of FIG. 8 lies in that in the blouse 109 portion of the combination, the interior side tie 62 is tied to the interior side tie 66 as by knot 113, instead of securing the blouse, simply with the ornamental pin 80, as in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. l0 we have shown still another skirt and blouse arangement 109 of the invention identiiied as naked midrilf. The therein exotic effect disclosed is achieved by securing the loop 32 to the hook 48 at the right shoulder, and the hook 42 to the loop 58 at the left shoulder. A relatively shorter version (but otherwise identical) of the dress 10 is employed, to achieve the shown blouse eiect. The excess folds or material 110 and 112 are simply hunched beneath the blouse and tacked at the midrii as by ornamental pin 80. A skirt 114, which may be any conventional skirt desired, or which may be formed from a dress 10 as heretofore explained, completes the combination 109.

In FIG. ll we have disclosed still another combination 116 employing two dresses 10 of the invention combined into a skirt and blouse ensemble. To achieve greater coverage of the shoulders, attachments 32, 34, and 36 of area 22 are attached respectively to 48, 50. and 52 of area 26 at the right shoulder, while at the left shoulder attachments 42, 40 and 38 of area 24 are secured respectively to 58, S6 and 54 of area 2S. At the bottom 16 (FIG. l and FIG. ll) of the blouse portion, the belt 70 is tied about the waist in an ornamental knot. The skirt portion 120 of the ensemble is formed by wearing a shortened version of the dress 10 in the manner of Referring to FIG. l2 there is disclosed an alternate arrangement 120 of the invention, identified as exposed shoulders, wherein a blouse and skirt combination is composed of two dresses 10. The skirt portion 122 is a relatively shorter, but otherwise identical version of the dress wherein the periphery 20 is drawn snugly about the waist so that a fold 124 is thereby formed. The skirt is then fixed in position by means of the belt 70 tied into an ornamental knot 126.

The blouse portion, designated as 128 is arranged as follows: Attachments 34 and 36 of area 22 are secured to attachments 50 and 52 respectively of area 26 on top of the right shoulder, and 'attachments 38 and 40 of area 24 are secured to S4 and 56 `respectively of area 28, on top of the left shoulder. Just below the left shoulder, hook 30 is attached to loop 46, while just below the right shoulder hook 60 is attached to loop 44 to thereby achieve an exposed shoulder effect. The excess material at the bottom of the blouse 128 is simply bunched inside the blouse and secured in the center as by ornamental pin 80, in the same manner as shown with respect to FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 13 we have still another arrangement 130 referred to as evening gown. This arrangement is made preferably from 110 inch wide tubular material, rather than the normal 68 to S0 inch wide material, so that a double fold 131 may be achieved.

In formulating the arrangement 130 the loop 36 is attached beneath the right armpit to an auxiliary hook 37 (FIG. l) disposed about the periphery 20 approximately ten inches from the hook 52 in the direction of the loop 54. At the top of the left shoulder the loop 40 is attached to the hook 56. The loop 42 is attached to the hook 58, and the loop 44 is attached to the hook 60. The stay or tie 62 is then brought around the top of the left shoulder to attach to the stay 66. Thus a full length elegant evening gown is composed from the basic dress 10.

It will now be noted that the tubular material 12 from which the basic dress 10 is manufactured may be a reversible material, so that by securing the stays or ties 62, 64, 66 and 68 (FIG. 1) thereto in a detachable manner, similar to the belt 70, (as by snap arrangement 72) a greater multiplicity of styles and designs and color schemes may be achieved.

There are thus provided means whereby the several objects of this invention may be achieved in a novel and effective manner.

While only one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, by way of example it will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in form and modifications may be made, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-style garment comprising, a length of tubular material, a plurality of attachment points grouped into separate attachment areas disposed along the top end of said tubular material, each of said groups consisting of a plurality of sequential mating attachment means for attaching to each other and to the mating means in other areas, and tieing means associated with the material adapted to co-operate with said attachment points to draw said material about the wearer in a plurality of manners.

2. The multi-style garment claimed in claim 1, wherein said tieing means comprise a plurality of side ties and a detachable belt.

3. The multi-style garment claimed in claim 2, wherein two of said ties are disposed on an upper level Within said garment and two of said ties are disposed on a lower level.

4. The multi-style garment claimed in claim 3, wherein the side ties on the upper level are disposed on the same level at 1/a of the length from the top end of the garment, and the side ties on the lower level are disposed on the same level at 1/3 of the length of the garment from the 'bottom thereof.

5. The multi-style garment claimed in claim 3, wherein said detachable belt is disposed at a level intermediate said upper and lower levels and is adapted to be removed and worn about the exterior of said garment.

6. The multi-style garment claimed in claim 5 wherein said tubular material is relatively short and adapted to be worn as a blouse.

7. The multi-style garment claimed in claim 5, wherein said tubular material is relatively long and is adapted to be Worn as a dress.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,064,399 12/ 1936 Abrams 2--74 2,462,706 2/ 1949 Alberich 2-106 2,534,827 12/ 1950 McTammany 2-75 2,575,791 11/1951 Brown 2*106 3,008,147 11/ 1961 Yelton 2-74 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 12,534 1901 Great Britain.

H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 2-106, 89 

